Driving Morocco: Fès and the Rif

Just like the city itself, the hotels of Fès are extremely varied. There is everything from amazing 5-star palace hotels to 2-star dumps without out a shower or heat, and they are spread out all around the three main areas of the city. Pension Batha (pronounced bat-Ha) is located just outside the walls of the Medina, near Bab el-Batha, and is the perfect place if you want to spend your days exploring the sights of this magnificent area of Fès. The Pension is on one of the side streets so it is quiet, and you will experience little harassment from the many tours that prowl around Bab al-Batha. There is also a taxi stand about 50 yards from the hotel so you can easily reach the other areas of the city and there is a good selection of restaurants located just inside Bab el-Batha.

The hotel itself is extremely clean, the staff is wonderful, and it is a great value. It only has a few rooms, so it may be best to give them a call when you arrive in Morocco to make reservations. Our double room ran us 140 Dihram, around US$14. The beds were clean and comfortable, and even more importantly, we had hot water all day (often a rarity in Morocco) as well as heat (another thing surprisingly hard to come by). The daily rate also includes the standard Moroccan hotel breakfast with which you will become all too well acquainted. You can choose to eat your breakfast of bread, coffee/tea, and Moroccan fig jam in your room or on the terrace. While the terrace doesn’t have the best view, it is still a pleasant place to grab breakfast.

The staff of the hotel was extremely friendly. They were able to hook us up with a great official guide for a tour of Fès. During our two-day stay, we were the only ones in the hotel and when we asked the manager what time the train for Rabat left so that we could buy tickets, he insisted on taking us to the train station himself. He drove us there, got us the tickets, and then on the way back took us to another hotel with a great view of Fès and bought us a few rounds of drinks. Now that’s hospitality. So, if you want a nice, clean hotel with good access to all that Fès has to offer, hit up the Pension Batha.

After an unforgettable drive from Meknes that involved not only spectacular scenery but numerous run-ins with locals on the side of the road jumping and waving large bags of marijuana for sale, we were quite happy to finally arrive in Chefchouen. Being exhausted we decided to settle on the first hotel we could find, and what we found was Pension La Castellana. It was a complete gem.

Pension La Castellana is located just off the main square of the Medina of Chefchouen. We were lucky it was the off-season because La Castellana only has few rooms, most of which are cannot fit much more than a two-person bed. On the outside, La Castellana doesn’t look much different than the rest of the houses in Chefchouen. It is painted the same light blue and has a small entranceway, but the inside is quite impressive. Inside two floors of rooms encircle a small tiled courtyard and are connected by a narrow spiraled staircase. Another staircase takes you to the roof, where, in the summer you can campout with your sleeping bag. From the roof you can get great views of the surrounding hills. All the bathrooms and showers are shared, but there is plenty of hot water. All the staff was helpful and nice. When we arrived inquiring about a room the owner chided us, asking the lady I was traveling with if she was Moroccan, because if she was he couldn’t let us stay in the same room unless we were married. Seeing the puzzled look on our faces, he then laughed and said that he really didn’t care anyway.

La Castellana, like the rest of Chefchouen, isn’t without its shady side though. Within minutes of arriving, while checking in we turned around to see a character all dressed in white tracksuit smiling at us. He introduced himself as Ali, and made it clear that if we needed to try any of the local produce that we should come find him. Then, with a slight smile and a chuckle, he slipped right back out the door. After getting over the bit of shock at what just happened, we turned back to the owner. He smiled then proceeded to tell us not to listen to that guy, but that if we wanted anything we should talk to him first. We soon came to realize that this is the standard in Chefchouen. It’s not a sign of shadiness; it’s the de facto state of being. Marijuana plays an open role in the daily life of Chefchouen and they are very open about it. You don’t have to worry about it, though. If you want to join in with the locals, it’s easy, but it’s just as easy to avoid. All it takes is a simple "no" and you will be left completely alone.

Fès is the symbolic heart of Morocco. It is definitive Morocco, everything you think of when you hear the name Morocco. It is the ancient imperial city that has had a long and tumultuous history, all of which is reflected in the city today. The city is divided into three main parts, each representing a different period in the history of Fès. Fès el-Bali, the Medina, the old walled city dating back to the 9th century, is what most people come to Fès for. Fès el-Jdid is a walled expansion on the Medina and dates from the 14th century. There is also the Ville Nouvelle, modern Fès, Fès of the 20th century. Each part of Fès differs greatly from the others and each has something to offer the casual visitor.

The Medina is undoubtedly the heart of Fès and what makes Fès such a special city. It is an expansive maze of narrow winding streets lined with houses, shops, and mosques. It can be crowded, noisy, and dirty. The Medina will bombard all your senses and part of a good experience in the Medina is just sitting back and taking it all in, watching mule drivers weave their carts through the crowds, smelling the various aromas emanating from spice shops and restaurants. The Medina can be extremely intimidating and going at it alone can be hard. I consider myself a very adventurous traveler with a great sense of direction and a good ability to adapt, but the Medina took me for a ride. I got lost, I got harassed, and the next day I hired an official guide. A guide is the best way to go on your first day. You won’t be harassed one bit, which is a wonderful feeling, and you will get a feel for how the Medina works, so that you can go at it alone another day. At around $20 for a full day, it is a bargain. Your guide will show you everything, the ancient Kairaouine Mosque, one of the oldest universities in the world, the best medrasas of the Medina, as well as other great mosques. He will also take you to the tanneries, where you can watch leather be tanned the traditional way, and your tour will most likely include a stop at a rug factory. While on your tour you can scope out various shops and see the various goods that are for sale, ask some prices, figure out what you want, then either buy it then or come back later.

If you want, your guide can take you into Fès el-Jdid where you can see streets lined with beautiful balconies from Fès’s medieval period, as well as the impressive gate to the Royal Palace.

After a day of tromping through the Medina, the Ville Nouvelle is a good escape. The Medina basically shuts down at night, and the Ville Nouvelle is where you head for good food and nightlife.

Just north of the imperial cities of Meknes and Fes lie the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Volubilis. Originally settled by Carthaginians, the city was settled by the Romans around 40 AD. The ruins are the best-preserved and largest Roman ruins in all of Morocco. Although the ruins themselves cannot compare in grandeur to the ones you will find in the eastern Mediterranean, they still impressive enough to warrant a stop, if only to be impressed again by the overreaching power of the Roman Empire.

The ruins are a short drive north of Meknes and are reachable by bus. The nearest town to the ruins is the town of Moulay Idriss, named after a former emperor. Moulay Idriss is a nice little town tucked in the mountains and not a bad place to spend the night. There is also a small hotel and campsite near the ruins, but it is probably best to view the ruins as a day trip for Meknes or while on your way to somewhere else.

As for the ruins themselves, they are better than average Roman ruins. If you have been to other ruins like Ephesus, Pompeii, or Palmera, the ruins of Volubilis will not wow you, but you will still appreciate them. What makes the ruins of Volubilis so spectacular are not just the ruins themselves, but also the location of the ruins. They are set on top of a beautiful expanse of green hills that spreads out from the base of the Rif Mountains. From the ruins you can see the pocket of blue and white houses nestled in the green mountains that make up the nearby town of Moulay Idriss. As for the ruins themselves, there are a few wonderful sights. Volubilis was a large olive oil production center so there are plenty of oil presses as well as a few baths. The two most spectacular ruins are probably the capitol, from which you can get great views of the surrounding area, the basilica with it well preserved arches, and the Victory Arch. The Victory Arch was built in 217 AD in honor of the Emperor Caracalla. The arch itself is impressive, but it is easy to imagine how much more impressive it would be if the enormous bronze chariot were still atop it.

Besides the ruins themselves, the most impressive sight at Volubilis are the numerous mosaics which have been wonderfully preserved. The sheer size and number of mosaics at Volubilis is what makes it a special place. Mosaics depicting the tale of Orpheus and Bacchus on a chariot, as well as others, are some of the best-preserved mosaics I have ever seen and make the trip alone worth it.

The views, the ruins, and the mosaics all make Volubilis a great day trip, and when combined with the imperial cities of Meknes and Fes, complete a perfect imperial triangle.

Meknes is one of Morocco’s imperial cities and one of numerous former capitals. It enjoyed its height of power during the seventeenth century when it was captured the heart of Moulay Ismail. Since then it has a bit of a troubled history and no doubt lost some of its grandeur. Still, with the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail, the most spectacular gate in North Africa, and an old city less oppressive than that in Fes, Meknes is a fine place to stop for a night.

There are numerous hotels to stay at in Meknes just out side of the Medina, the old city. However, if you are going the budget route, as I did, make sure your hotel has functioning heat, only in the winter of course. I was there in February and did not realize that the heat was not working in the hotel. It took about four blankets to fend off hypothermia . . .

As for the sights of Meknes, most of them are centered around, or just outside of the old city. A good place to start is the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss. Moulay Idriss, the eccentric emperor who had visions of grandeur for Meknes, lies in a suitably impressive mausoleum just outside of the gates to the old city. With tiled courtyards and fountains, the mausoleum is definitely worth a stop. From there you can swing by the equally impressive Bab al-Mansour, an enourmous and ornate gate into the old city. Although the gate is closed to all traffic, and the atmosphere has been a bit ruined by the constant stream of honking cars that passes in front, it is still possible to imagine the awe the gate would impress upon travelers arriving at Meknes centuries ago.

From Bab al-Mansour, you can head into the Medina. If you are coming to Meknes from Fes, you will surely find this Medina to be less stressful than the one in Fes. However if you are stopping by Meknes first, you might be in for a bit of a shock. The Medina is a confusing maze of narrow streets, underpasses and gates that come to life during the day with shoppers, shopkeepers and people going about their daily business. There are plenty of aromatic spice shops where you can please your nose as well as shops selling all sorts of crafts. The biggest joy comes from just walking around the Medina, discovering a new corridor, and dodging donkey carts. While there are still plenty of touts about and you should keep careful watch over your wallet and camera, it is no where near as hectic as Fes and you will find that it rather easy to walk around freely and unbothered.

Meknes is Fes’ little sister. It is not as grand or impressive, but it is also free of a lot of the hassles that can make Fes a headache. While there is not much to entertain for more than a day, it is a perfect place to stop just for a night.

Deep in the heart of the Rif Mountains lies the oft-forgotten town of Chefchouen. During the time we spent planning our journey through Morocco, not once did Chefchouen even register on our list of places to go. It was hardly a blurb in most of the guidebooks. Hence our surprise when our guide in Merzouga told us that Chefchouen was his favorite town in Morocco and that we had to go there. Upon his recommendation, and seeing we had an open day in our schedule, we decided to stop by the town. Little did we expect that we would end up spending an extra day and that when we left Morocco, Chefchouen would have become our favorite place too.

Chefchouen is a tiny town set deep in the Rif Mountains, a two-hour drive from Meknes or Fes. It is rather out of the way, but that is part of what makes it so special. Chefchouen has somehow still managed to escape much of the ill effects of global tourism that have damaged other cities like Fes. The oppressive touts that flood Fes are noticeably absent, and the obnoxious hordes of tour bus tourists are nowhere to be seen. Instead you have thousands of friendly locals and a small congregation of neo-hippie tourists who have come to take advantage of Chefchouen’s noticeably ubiquitous supply of marijuana.

Even if sampling the local marijuana supply is not your thing, Chefchouen is still the perfect place to relax and unwind after the hectic pace of Morocco’s other cities. After being constantly pestered in Fes by people asking if you want a tour or some cheaply-made souvenir, you will chuckle at the odd fellow in Chefchouen who approaches you asking if want un petit morceaux.

Every thing about this town is relaxing. The fresh mountain air will relax your soul. The bathhouses will cleanse your body. Even the soothing light blue and white paint that covers every house in the town will make you leave any troubles behind.

As for sights, the city itself really is the sight. There is a small Kasbah and a nice waterfall outside of town, but the real treat is the town itself. For centuries the town was mainly Jewish, and it was decreed that the whole town would be painted in a shade of light blue, which makes for quite a spectacular sight. The Medina of Chefchouen is an architectural wonder itself. Built on the side of a hill, the narrow streets are so steep at points that they have to be terraced. The best thing to do in Chefchouen is just walk around, through all the narrow passageways and stumbling upon a beautifully ornate door or a street lined with colorful hand-woven decorations. Of course we were there during the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha in which every family slaughters an animal and donates the meat to the poor. Because of the holiday, the streets were lined with sheepskins, horns, and other extraneous leftovers. It was quite the sight.